Abandoned Motel, Eureka
Abandoned Motel, Eureka
Signed Print
Bob Dylan
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66 x 42cm, Edition of 295, Giclée print
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Meaning & Analysis
Bob Dylan's 2017 Abandoned Motel, Eureka, a signed giclée print from an edition of 295, captures the legendary Roy's Motel and Café in California's Mojave Desert. This iconic Route 66 landmark, with its distinctive Googie architecture and towering neon sign, embodies the golden age of American cross-country travel and the subsequent decline of the historic highway.
Roy's Motel and Café was strategically positioned along what was once known as the “Main Street of America” at 87520 National Trails Highway in Amboy, California. Originally opened in 1938 by Roy Crowl as a gas and service station, the complex expanded during the 1940s and 1950s to include a café, auto repair garage, and auto court of small cabins. During its golden era, Roy's employed up to 70 people and served a desert community of 700, making it a vital economic hub where the distinctive 50-foot neon sign could be seen for miles across the landscape. The completion of Interstate 40 in 1972 marked the beginning of Roy's decline, as traffic was diverted away from the historic route and business fell sharply almost overnight.
Dylan's watercolour style captures both the romance and melancholy of this abandoned symbol of mid-century American roadside culture, a theme that recurs throughout Dylan’s The Beaten Path series. The motel's cinematic legacy includes appearances in films like Kalifornia (1993) starring Brad Pitt and The Hitcher (1986), cementing its status as a representation of both the allure and danger of the open road.